What is the best way to acid etch a khukuri?

D

Dave K

Joined
Jul 5, 1999
Messages
933
I have a villager that I am experimenting with and I have realized that I am too lazy to do much polishing.

Will muriatic acid work to bring out the nepali "hamon"?

Should I just pour it on, or does it have to be dipped in the acid?

-Dave
 
Muriatic may be a bit much for this application. You would be better off with ferric chloride available at Radio Shack, it's called printed circuit board etchant or PCB solution. Dilute the solution 2 or 3 parts water and one part ferric. Make sure the blade is absolutely clean, if there is any trace of oil or grease it will not etch properly. You do not want this to happen. Immerse the blade vertically up to the bolster. Mask of the bolster with a resist(nail polish works great). If the brass touches the solution it can copper plate the blade, which is alot of trouble to remove. You can use a solvent like acetone to remove the nail polish when you're done. The hardened edge will etch black or dark gray and the unhardened body of the blade will etch a lighter gray. When the etch has turned the blade the previously mentioned colors let it sit an additional 30 seconds to a minute then remove the blade and neutralize in a baking soda or TSP solution. Follow this up by removing the dark oxides from the blade with simichrome or flitz. Go easy if you polish to much it will completely mask the hamon. If this is all clear as mud, let me know and I'll try to clear it up. Good luck!
 
Hey, thanks a lot!
smile.gif


It all seems reasonably clear to me right now so I will give it a shot before asking too many other questions.

Perhaps I will try to conduct the immersion in a glass flower vase.

-Dave
 
Dave is a nice guy. At the Reno convention he helped me carry the khuks and kora from the parking lot to the conference room, and back down again when I left. I'm glad to see him trying new things out, it tends to be serendipitous ( and VERY educational ).

Broken Arrow is another nice guy I got to meet in Reno.

[This message has been edited by Rusty (edited 11-25-2000).]
 
The axehead was an accident.

I just got a little too eager in going after that downed tree.

Luckily, neither the sirupati nor the axehead sustained any real damage at all.
 
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